Office politics: What happens when your office is running for office?

Two of Robert Holden’s staffers, Alicia Vaichunas and Phil Wong, are running to replace the councilmember in District 30. Holden has endorsed both candidates. Photos via Alicia Vaichunas, Bob Holden/Facebook

By Ryan Schwach

In one Queens councilmember’s office, the term “office politics” has taken on a whole new meaning.

At 58-38 69th Street in Maspeth, the office of City Councilmember Bob Holden, two veteran staffers are both running to replace their term-limited boss.

There’s one other wrinkle – one is a Democrat, the other is a Republican.

The situation is without recent comparison and, in any other office, could be a breeding ground for animosity and combativeness – but in Holden’s office, it's just business as usual.

The ideological split inside the Western Queens office is, more than anything, indicative of the legacy Holden will leave behind in District 30.

“It’s an interesting dynamic,” said Holden’s chief of staff, Daniel Kurzyna.

Kurzyna, who was once expected to be Holden’s pick for the seat, now oversees two people who have both received their boss’s blessing to run to replace him.

Kurzyna’s deputy, Alicia Vaichunas, is running as a Republican, and the office’s budget director, Phil Wong, is running as a Democrat.

In March, Holden endorsed both candidates, one on each party line, setting up a potential outcome where Vaichunas and Wong are running against each other in a general election.

“I think both are excellent candidates who can fill my shoes and run and be the same kind of leader,” Holden told the Eagle last week. “I think that's what I think the voters should know. Both of them are ready on day one.”

Vaichunas is running unopposed and will be the Republican nominee for the Council seat in November. Wong has two primary opponents.

Holden’s dual endorsement is one he is uniquely poised to make. While he is a registered Democrat, Holden almost exclusively votes with Republicans in the Council on the occasions when they break from the Democratic super majority. Holden also serves as co-chair of the Council’s conservative Common Sense Caucus.

Holden also has run on both the Democratic and Republican party lines – in the same elections.

In 2023, Holden the Democratic candidate beat out Holden the Republican/Conservative candidate by 27 votes.

“I work with both parties, I’m bipartisan,” Holden said. “That's why the stars kind of aligned right now, and that is unique.”

“Most reporters that I talked to were confused, saying ‘Oh, why'd you [endorse] both?’ Well, look up who I am, and then maybe you'll figure that out,” added Holden.

When both Vaichunas and Wong first announced they would be seeking to succeed Holden, Kurzyna was unsure what to expect.

“At first I was like, ‘Oh man, this is going to be difficult to navigate,’” Kurzyna said.

However, all parties involved say it hasn’t shaped up to be a difficult situation. The Holden office family mostly keeps politics away from the dinner table, he said.

“Nothing's really changed,” Kurzyna said. “They're very cordial, they work well together, they both like each other, they both support each other, and they just show up and do the work that they're supposed to do.”

Both Wong and Vaichunas helped Holden get elected through the years. They also share a number of beliefs – both were prominent voices at a series of protests against a planned Maspeth homeless shelter even before Holden took office.

“We work together fine, we work together as a team,” Wong told the Eagle.

Vaichunas, who said that “everybody’s been wondering” about how her and Wong have been getting along in the office, said things have been uneventful.

“‘Are you fighting?’” she said she has been asked. “No, there's no fighting.”

The two attended the same Queens schools growing up, and have continued to do their respective work for Holden despite the looming chance they could be soon running against one another.

“Phil and I go way back,” she said. “To me, we come in, we work, we speak like we always did. Nothing has changed, and our relationship is great.”

That friendly relationship, regardless of party or politics, is one Holden says he attempted to instill in his staff over the years.

“They're both like me, they both put the neighborhood over party and politics,” the councilmember said.

The political tight-rope Holden walks would likely only work in a few places in Queens.

While registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in the district three to one, District 30 has a large independent population, and supported Donald Trump and Curtis Sliwa in recent elections.

While other Queens councilmembers have politically diverse districts, most of the more moderate elected officials have close ties with either the Republican or Democratic establishment, and would be unlikely to endorse someone on another party line.

“This should be looked at as unique,” Holden said. “But it also should be celebrated.”

Holden’s office isn’t the only Queens workplace busy with campaigners.

Sandro Navarro, a district director in Queens State Senator Jessica Ramos’ office, who herself is running for mayor, is running to replace Councilmember Francisco Moya in Council District 21.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is also running for mayor, has seen her chief of staff Tyrell Hankerson run to take over her Southeast Queens seat. Adams’ associate director of intergovernmental affairs Erycka Montoya, is also running for office, hoping to replace Moya in District 21.

Only in Holden’s office however, are two staffers running with the potential to face off with each other in the general election.

There is a chance that Wong wins the Democratic Primary in June, squeezing past well-known and well-funded teacher’s union operative Dermot Smyth and local organizer Paul Pogozelski.

In that case, it will be an office square off between Wong and Vaichunas.

“If I don't win, I am sure hoping he wins,” said Vaichunas. “I think either way, the community wins.”

Holden hopes that no matter who comes out on top, the future councilmember will bring the other into their office.

While Holden has made his endorsements in the primary, he said he’ll stay out of the general election if his two staffers happen to be facing off against each other.

“May the best person win,” he said.